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X of Y

X of Y

X of Y

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Positive Messages

Reckless driving sometimes equals winning.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Players are rewarded for driving too fast and recklessly.

Ease of Play

Simple controls, but these can be adjusted to make them somewhat realistic, unrealistic, while difficulty is also adjustable.

Violence

While crashes can be violent, no harm ever comes to drivers.

Sex

Language

Some of the music features risqué lyrics. Multiplayer modes feature unmoderated communication between players.

Consumerism

Game features real cars and may make kids want to buy them.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Forza Horizon 3 is an open-world street-racing game. Besides breaking local speed limits, the game also encourages you to drive recklessly. But while there are violent car crashes, the drivers are never hurt, so there's no blood or gore. Some of the music on the radio features risqué lyrics. Communication between players is also unmoderated, which means it might get risqué as well.

What's it about?

FORZA HORIZON 3 is an open-world racing game that has you driving a wide variety of cars on the streets, beaches, and dirt roads of Australia. By winning races and completing challenges, you not only earn money, which you use to buy more cars, but you also open up the world to new events, making your racing festival that much bigger. Besides all the cars and courses, this game also boasts a number of ways to customize your racing experience, most notably the controls, which can range from realistic to forgiving, and many points in between. You can also change the conditions of the races and even enjoy them with three of your online friends in tow.

Is it any good?

Thanks to great controls, twisty tracks, and a wide variety of vehicles and places to drive them, this open-world street-racing game is this year's best virtual Sunday drive. Like previous games in this series, and the Forza Motorsport series it was spun off from, Forza Horizon 3 features adjustable and spot-on controls regardless of whether you're looking for something realistic, something more forgiving and arcade-like, or something in between. By setting the game in Australia, the developers have been able to include tracks that not only have you speeding through suburbs and cities but also on the beaches and through the rainforest as well. Even better, these tracks are nice and curvy, a good challenge to your racing skills. Besides a deep career mode that will have you driving in many kinds of events, this game also has an option to play those events with three of your Forza-loving online friends, including those playing on another system. It also boasts a ton of other events, including some Hollywood-style stunts, as well as a deep customization system that allows you to make your dream car, mechanically and aesthetically. Together, it all makes Forza Horizon 3 the best racing game of 2016.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about driving safety. Why should you never drive in real life like you do in this game? How is crashing in this game different from in real life?

Families can talk about online safety. How can you protect yourself from potential bullies and predators when playing online games? What would you do if you were uncomfortable with other players' conversation?

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